European Shippers’ Council and associations of the Trade Contact Group call on the Council of the European Union and the European Commission to fully involve trade and industry representatives in the development of the European Customs Data Hub (CDH), a central component of the EU Customs Reform. The Customs Data Hub is expected to transform how customs data is collected, processed, and shared across the European Union, but without meaningful expert input from trade operators, there is a risk of repeating the operational problems encountered during the Union Customs Code Work Programme.
Trade representatives provide indispensable expertise, including practical knowledge of customs procedures, technical understanding of IT integration and data flows, and hands-on experience with risk management. Their involvement is necessary to ensure that the Customs Data Hub is efficient, workable, and aligned with the everyday operational realities of businesses, while supporting the EU’s objectives of simplification, security, and interoperability.
To achieve this, European Shippers’ Council and TCG associations urge EU institutions to formally include trade representatives in working group discussions without delay, to establish a clear and structured consultation mechanism enabling systematic industry input throughout the design and implementation process, and to make full use of existing platforms such as the Trade Contact Group to maintain continuous and effective dialogue.